Dear Coach Neuheisel: Start Kevin Craft In Washington DC
by Nestor on Dec 15, 2009 6:11 PM PST
in Football
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PrintLet me repeat the line from the LA Times posted in the updated section of my last post concerning the latest debacle involving the joke that is UCLA football:
Not all players seemed on board with the plan. Asked if he was aware of the plan, senior quarterback Kevin Craft said, "no," tersely. Senior tight end Logan Paulsen declined to comment.
If Rick Neuheisel is really committed to cleaning up the culture of mediocrity, laziness that has turned the Bruin football program into the laughing stock of all of college basketball, he needs to do lot more than share sweet, sugary sound bites in the traditional press.
He made a commitment to changing this culture and so far based on his words and actions from today, it is not looking good. If he wants to send a message regarding accountability, he needs to do lot more than sounding like Steve Lavin about how he was "pleased" with "leadership" and waxing poetic about Kenny Easley. Unless the seniors issue an apology on behalf of the entire program, they shouldn't be dressing up for the bowl game.
If Kevin Craft, indeed objected to this shenanigans from today, he should get the start over Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut during this bowl game.If the bowl games are supposed to opportunities for teachable moments, well Rick Neuheisel is not going to get a better opportunity than this. He should start Craft and set an example for the underclassmen about how he will no longer tolerate the culture of laziness and mediocrity that were factors in the current batch of seniors leaving with a losing record including a pathetic 1-3 record against the Trojans from Southern Cal.
Like I said, we will be watching closely. So far today, his words has been just as disappointing and discouraging as the ones committed by the clueless players in his joke of a football team.
GO BRUINS.
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I agree.
Craft should start, but I’ve felt this way before any of this happened.
I disagree
Keep disagreements behind closed doors. I think his comment said it all. We already look bad enough with some of the players pulling this stunt—if the possible starting QB goes out and in essence calls out his teammates and coach (no matter how deserved), that just makes it seem worse to me.
by Westwood Wizard on Dec 15, 2009 6:16 PM PST up reply actions
I meant Craft
Since Prince’s status is uncertain.
by Westwood Wizard on Dec 15, 2009 6:21 PM PST up reply actions
That's a good point
Yes, I def. thought Craft’s comment was encouraging. But where is Prince? Has there been any signal from him on this?
Not just this...
Prince has had major issues all year, with flashes of brilliance. I’d rather have a 100% healthy Craft, then trying to figure out in which mode Prince is in. Is he healthy? Rusty? Who knows.
FWIW
Tweet I sent to Coach Neuheisel:
@CoachNeuheisel Please start Craft. We want to see leadership in our QB, someone that doesn’t want to ditch practice.
Who knows if he actually reads any messages to him, but it can’t hurt.
by Westwood Wizard on Dec 15, 2009 6:22 PM PST reply actions
Yep good call WW
Our post is already showing up as a tweet on our account. Also, just retweeted your tweet as well.
just saw this
Un. freaking. believable.
Nestor – in the last thread, you said Logan Paulsen probably jumped 2 minutes early. I think he jumped on time…but his hands missed the wall.
We need to track every player we can who jumped
and look at their performance in the game (should they play). If they’re not vying for game MVP, it’s time to publicize that as much as we can. I won’t get into calling names (at least not in public), but I do think it’s very fair to analyze the game of each jumper, and point out the facts that player X jumped, missing a practice, and he had a good/average/crappy game.
This incident basically makes Temple a must win for Neuheisel
Because if he doesn’t he will pay for it the same way the way Dorrell paid for this underachievers stinking up the joint against Wyoming.
Hold on
the quote from the LA Times asked Craft if he was “aware” of the plan, not if he “objected”. It’s also quite possible Prince and Brehaut weren’t “aware” either. From what I gather, this was spearheaded by a small number of seniors, which then culminated into an entire team prank against the coaches. Again, I have my doubts just how “unwilling” of a participant Neuheisel is in this whole situation, given his prior quotes.
"I don't forget very much" Rick Neuheisel, 11/28/09
You gotta a fresh link
I was encouraged by the notion that he wasn’t on board with it and made the clear at least via his expression to the reporters. At this point, that is lot more than rest of these pathetic seniors.
Reading closely
I am also referencing a personal conversation I had with Neuheisel on this very subject. He wanted to turn it into something “positive”. I think he was sending a message to the players back in the spring that if you get to a bowl game, then you can think about doing it.
I think the blame goes squarely on Neuheisel. If he really wanted to stop it, I think he could have.
"I don't forget very much" Rick Neuheisel, 11/28/09
Yep
I definitely hold Neuheisel responsible in a big way for this. That is why I think he needs to do lot more than just do sweet talk on this. This is more than just one isolated act. Nonsense like this just adds up and further cements the rotten culture that has eaten away at the foundation of this program.
Neuheisel was here to get that fixed. Now why is this happening. At this point one way or another he needs to send a message to rest of the community that he will not stand for this and he will do something more than what Petey does when one of his goes off the rails.
I think starting Craft (if he indeed didn’t take part in this and either directly or indirectly voiced his displeasure against it) and then benching the senior leaders unless they come forward and issue an apology is the only way to go. Otherwise, right now this looks bad on Rick Neuheisel.
Catch 22
I agree, if Neuheisel made it clear to everyone that this behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated, then the perpetrators should be punished…no questions asked. But, if somehow he sent a message back in Spring ball that could have been interpreted that he even partially condoned this prank, then punishing the perps would seem disingenuous, hence the catch 22.
Back in the 80s, before the internets, this stuff happens and probably never gets reported, or is known only by a small group of insiders. Nowadays, you do this and an hour later an entire fan base is enraged. He has to put an end to it. No doubt about it.
"I don't forget very much" Rick Neuheisel, 11/28/09
if no-one told KC about it...
…then that maybe says something about the culture of this squad. Maybe KC, as a JC transfer, was never really down with the other people in his class.
I read his reaction as that of a person excluded from the ‘cool kid’ group.
If that is the case
And I think your reading could be a reasonable one, it’s even better reason to start Craft while collective benching the “kewl kid” group.
I don't think the QB start
should come down to who went over the wall or not since it seems CRN is substantially complicit in the whole deal.
The only factor should be what is best for the program, usually meaning who will win the bowl game for us most likely?
That would probably be Craft given KP’s injury and his really terrible play against SUC. it might be Brehaut if he practices lights out and the coaches decide this game is merely designed to help develop players for next season.
I’m fine with KC starting. I would love to see lots of Brehaut for once. Maybe we can do both!
GO BRUINS! BEAT TEMPLE!
I Vote the Seniors That Went Over the Wall Don't Start
Sorry dudes, as we have been speaking your praises all week—so happy we have one more football game to enjoy since Bruin BB is such a bust for the 09-10 season……just don’t have a whole lot of empathy for the stunt today. It would have shown so much more “Senior Class” to stay and practice, focused on the bowl game win on the horizon for you—a bowl game which you never held in your own hands as far as destiny goes….it was a gift from Army. Shame on you….. It makes me bummed I sat through an entire Army/Navy game last weekend rooting for Navy—-ostensibly for you. Hope you shape up and prove me wrong. I doubt any Army or Navy players would go “over the wall” except in combat defending our country.
P.S. I Also Vote for Kevin Craft to Start
He is a True-Blue Bruin with class, not always the stats.
It looks like Paulsen deserves an apology...
from the OC Register:
Tight end Logan Paulsen didn’t seem pleased with the cancellation of practice and begrudgingly left the field at Neuheisel’s insistence.
That is still not leadership
He needs to do more than that. Haven’t seen any direct quotes from him and I’d like to see lot more than just a report from the OC Register. The entire senior class is accountable right now. Paulsen is especially on the line because he spoke up about it. Being quiet and doing nothing doesn’t count much in the department of leadership.
Without being there
It’s hard to know who did what. And I also hate relying on the LAT and the OC Register for reports and would like to see more quotes. If Craft is exonerated because he said he didn’t know about it, then why are we giving Paulsen a hard time when he was forced off the field by CRN?
Because Paulsen specifically went on the record
and he was a team “captain.”
Last time I checked Craft wasn’t a team captain.
Ok
Lets put the two articles we have together. Again I wasn’t there so I dont know. But OC Register says he was forced off the field by CRN. So just after that on his way to the locker room some beat reported asks him questions. The LA Times says he declined to comment. Lets take another look at this.
N, you seem to be under the impression the reason he declined to comment because he didn’t want to be seen as a liar and the ring leader. I, on the other hand, see it has him declining to comment because he was pissed at CRN and didn’t want that leaked to the media. If I by chance am right I think he did the right thing by not expressing his dissapointment in his coach. His job is to play football and its our job to complain. I know its a stretch, but we’ll get a better picture of it all tomorrow after practice when we can get some fresh quotes.
In the mean time, the best QB should get the start. Brehaut by no means led this debacle and should not be punished for it. Just as Craft should not be praised for merely showing up for practice.
He is the designated "leader" of this offense
He hasn’t really stepped up and done that this season and didn’t seem to do any of that in this case. His performance when it came to “leading” was mediocre and below average as rest of the team. And he failed to deliver on the words he made public in spring. If he wasn’t going to do lead, he perhaps should have never opened his mouth back in spring.
You're absolutely right
Paulsen is a mediocre player that did a fantastic job in leading his team to mediocrity. He shouldn’t have been in a leadership roll, but you can defer that topic to that CTS fanpost I saw the other day.
But back to my comment, I don’t see how he failed to deliver on his comments back in April. He was forced off the practice field by his own coach. To me that only reinforces what he said in April:
Every one of these practices is special to me, and I don’t want to be wasting an opportunity.Like I said above, I think he declined to comment because he didn’t want to vent his frustration with CRN to the media. I’ll gladly eat crow tomorrow if reports say otherwise.
We will have to agree to disagree
I am not ready to give our captains the benefit of the doubt. They haven’t earned it based on their actions from last four years.
A very reasonable post
I don’t think any of us have been happy with Logan this year, but lets see if we find out more. If he indeed didn’t have anything to do with this and wanted to practice, then he get’s a plus mark in my book.
by Westwood Wizard on Dec 15, 2009 9:45 PM PST up reply actions
photos
If you read any past threads and see the photo of Reggie Carter, when you scroll over my image there is some text that goes along with the photo and photo credit to DaBruins07.
I just want to make it clear that I am glad you guys use my photos on the blog, but that text is the authors view and not mine.
Pathetic
For a team that didn’t even earn it’s own way into the bowl game to do this crap is ridculous. Even if CRN tacitly permitted this garbage from his comment re: “no wall jumping during spring practice, only if you go bowling” the context of that comment is clear: if you earn your way to a bowl game, maybe you deserve to do this crap.
These SCRUBS needed Navy to beat Army to get into a bowl game. And they think they’re entitled to jump over a wall and ditch practice?
Pathetic, just pathetic.
If CRN doesn’t slam these guys and cut this shit out, it will be a major strike against him and continue the tradition of mediocre, lazy-ass UCLA football.
Just Found Out About This
And I am not happy. Burn down that CSMF-in’ wall. This is a f***’in’ bowl game we’re getting ready for and we don’t need this BS.
When I was playing football back in H.S. and we pulled some sort of shenanigan our coach literally would put one waste barrel at one end of the field and another one at the other and we would have to run “puke” sprints – until someone puked – and he would be screaming like a madman with his eyes almost bulging out of his head. He was like Vince Lombardi, Bob Knight, and Adolph Hitler – all rolled into one nice little package.
Los Angeles Rams and the UCLA Bruins!!!!!
by Minnesota Bruinfan on Dec 16, 2009 4:38 AM PST reply actions
That story should be on Deadspin
They’re running stories of coaches doing crazy things or being just plain awful. Puke sprints would make it in there for sure.
by Westwood Wizard on Dec 16, 2009 7:54 AM PST up reply actions
"Country Club" Football
This stupid tradition started during the “Country Club” football days of Terry Donahue. CRN needs to instill more toughness into our program, and get rid of these stupid traditions. I can guarantee that perennial top-10 programs have players across the board that are tough, mean, and cannot wait to get on the practice field every day to hit people. Coach had the reputation at CU and UW for not recruiting these kinds of players…I hope this is changing at UCLA.
Jumping the wall is not a prank
A prank is meant to be funny. This is not funny. Not one bit. The only ones looking like fools are the players…a prank isn’t supposed to be at the pranksters’ expense. Completely retarded.
You wanna do a prank? Bring a pig to practice. Put Ben Gay in everyone’s jock straps. Bring Terry Donahue in a tutu to coach Neuheisel. Whatever.
This was not a prank. This was an excuse to be FUCKING LAZY. And it looks like not everyone was in on it, which means there is NO UNITY on this team.
Do you think Temple skipped a practice? Those guys will have fire in their eyes when they hit the field, and we’re going to get embarrassed once again. There’s a prank for you. Lose to Temple. Fucking hilarious.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
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